Six Southwest skaters in WHL

Five players from the Southwest skating close to home in the East Division

Six players from the Southwest are currently skating in the Western Hockey League and five of those six reside in the East Division.

The Prince Albert Raiders feature Swift Current’s MacKenzie Johnston and Tim Vanstone. Johnston, an overage defenseman, has one goal and eight assists in 23 games with the Raiders since being acquired from the Kelowna Rockets earlier this season.

Vanstone, a 17-year-old forward, has one goal and five assists in 24 games during his sophomore season in Prince Albert. The Raiders were third in the Eastern Conference coming out of the weekend with a 15-9-2-0 record.

Shaunavon’s Dyson Stevenson is currently second in scoring on the Regina Pats with 13 goals and 13 assists in 24 games with 44 penalty minutes and a plus-seven rating. The Pats were seventh in the Eastern Conference with a 14-12-0-0 record after a strong U.S. Division road trip.

The Broncos feature a pair of 18-year-old forwards who came up through the minor hockey system together. Gull Lake’s Justin Spagrud suited up in 27 games for the Broncos with 13 penalty minutes before being injured last week against Brandon.

Swift Current’s Zac Mackay has been a fixture on the third line this season and has five goals, four assists, and a plus-four rating in 29 games.

Swift Current’s Colton Heffley is the only Southwest player outside of the East Division. The 19-year-old forward has two goals, six assists, and a plus-four rating in 23 games with the Kelowna Rockets. The Rockets are once again one of the top teams in the WHL with a 17-3-0-2 record and the best winning percentage (.818) in the 22-team league.